Friend or Foe?
by Italian writer
Summary: Sapphire and Steel must face a new threat. But is it really a threat? - Note for the female readers: I suggest you identify yourselves with the new character, so you won't blame her for her actions... This story has not been beta read, so kindly ignore the mistakes: English is not my mother tongue.
1. Chapter 1

**FRIEND OR FOE?**

**CHAPTER ONE**

A man and a woman were sitting in the small refreshment area of a desolate gas station. They were both blond, and they both looked quite disconsolate. The woman was very attractive, and was wearing a blue dress that perfectly matched her eyes. The man was also handsome, and he had grey eyes that equally matched his grey suit, but he looked much sterner than his partner. While the woman's aura exuded a sense of serenity and warmth, the man broadcasted a feeling of harshness and aloofness. The only thing that they shared at the moment was the same sense of despair.

They were both unhappily looking at a portable chess set lying in front of them, all the pieces scattered on the table. The man was the first to speak after a long period of stunned silence.

"I'm sorry, Sapphire."

She looked up at him, surprised.

"What for, Steel?"

"For not reacting fast enough. For not realizing it was a set up. For trapping you here with me."

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, the woman managed a sweet smile.

"There's no one else I'd rather be trapped with."

He did not smile back at her, but he was moved by her remark. He also had to admit that he was glad she was with him, although he would have preferred her to be free. They had been trapped by the Transients, and he knew that it was forever. For all eternity. Spending all eternity with Sapphire was certainly more desirable than spending it alone, but he wished she had managed to escape, just like their friend Silver, who had apparently avoided the trap, since he was not with them, although they had all been sent to this unfortunate assignment together.

This was Steel's first failure, and he was having a very hard time accepting that. He was used to outwit his foes, and his well-known stubbornness and resolve allowed him to overcome even the most challenging predicaments. Sometimes he had to bend the rules to succeed, but he had single-mindedly fulfilled all his assignments. Until today.

This particular assignment proved to be far more than the ordinary time anomaly that it initially looked like: it was an ambush, and they fell into it head first. The only one who apparently managed to get away was Silver, and Steel still didn't understand why. There were only three possible explanations, and he didn't fancy lingering on the first two of them: Silver had betrayed or had been killed. The third option was far more heartening: he had been intentionally left out of their present confinement. This last assumption opened up a wealth of new questions as to their enemies' motives. It also didn't exclude the possibility of escaping this predicament, since it meant that the Transients had something in mind and were about to make another move.

He decided to share his thoughts with Sapphire, but when he looked at her he noticed that she was strangely motionless. He tried calling her: "Sapphire? What's wrong?"

She didn't look like she was busy doing a probe or trying to warp time, because her eyes were not shining.

Concerned, Steel grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to shake her out of her strange trance.

"Sapphire? What's the matter with you?"

She was unresponsive, and Steel could not help thinking that maybe the Transients had already made the move he anticipated. Only he didn't expect them to take action against Sapphire. _He_ was the one in charge of their team and was responsible for the outcomes of their actions. He didn't like it when they picked on Sapphire to draw his attention.

Before his hyperactive mind had a chance to devise an action plan, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

"Don't worry, she's perfectly safe. She's just trapped in a stasis field."

Steel turned, and saw a woman standing in the farthest corner of the room. Curly raven hair framed a strikingly beautiful face, lit by two stunning periwinkle blue eyes. She was wearing close-fitting black leather trousers that clung to a perfect body, a tank top the same exact colour of her eyes, and a black leather jacket. A pair of worn boots and black gloves complemented her biker look.

She smiled at Steel's scrutiny, and said: "No, you don't know me, but I know you very well. Both you and your partner are quite renowned in our community."

Steel looked at her with ice-cold eyes, and asked: "Is that why you took the trouble of setting up this complicated deception?"

"Oh yes. I'm sure you realize that it wasn't easy to keep your thoughts away from my real purpose. You are quite resourceful. I hope you appreciate the hint of the chess set: I wanted to compliment your beautifully analytical and strategic mind."

Steel retorted, sarcastically: "It's nothing compared to your twisted inventive mind, apparently."

The woman dismissed the remark with a wave of her gloved hand.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I know you're far more quick-witted than what many of my associates think. I'm sure you have already second-guessed my motives for capturing you."

Steel slowly approached the transient.

"A good chess player never tries to second-guess his opponent without studying her first. But let me try nonetheless: since you isolated Sapphire from our little chat, I would think that you are about to threaten me into doing something, or else you will kill her. I am right?"

The woman laughed heartily.

"My, my, Steel, you _are_ clever. That's exactly what my friend over there had in mind."

At her words, Steel turned, and saw the man that trapped them in the service station in the first place standing behind him with a scornful expression on his unpleasant face.

To prove that he did not consider him as a serious threat, Steel deliberately turned his back to him, facing the woman again. He also far preferred to keep his eyes on her, since he instinctively felt that she was considerably more dangerous. He told her: "But I'm sure you have something else in mind."

Her deceptive smile disappeared.

"I'm really sorry, Steel, but I promised my associate that we would try his way first."

Steel moved to a table near the wall and sat down, positioning himself so as to see both his opponents, and trying to look as emotionless as possible.

"Well, you can tell your _associate_", he said, casting a quick disdainful glance at the man, "that his threats won't work. I will not exchange Sapphire's life for mine. Nor the other way around."

It was the male transient to speak this time.

"So you would not sacrifice your life to save your partner's? We will kill her, you know, unless you cooperate."

Steel replied, seemingly unperturbed: "We are very much aware of the risks of our line of work. Anytime we leave for an assignment we know that we might not come back alive. And, as the leader of my team, I realize that I might be forced to make a difficult decision and send Sapphire to death to accomplish my goal. I have been trained for that."

The man retorted: "Very impressive speech, but you don't fool me. I have noticed how you interact with her, and I know that she is not just your partner. You share a much deeper relationship, one that even your fellow operator Silver could not disrupt, despite his obvious attempts."

Steel's cold expression never wavered.

"That does not change my decision."

The man's face twisted in rage.

"She will suffer. Very much. I will personally make sure of that."

Steel didn't bother to answer, and kept looking at the man with icy eyes.

The woman was silent for a while, then burst into laughter again.

"My dear friend, you made an accurate psychological analysis, but you didn't go deep enough. Our man of steel is indeed very fond of his partner, but he is also far too professional to let his feelings interfere with his job. He would rather let her die than come to terms with us. And the more you will make her suffer, the more ruthless his revenge will be, if given the chance. If not, he will just follow her fate without begging for his own life. It's as simple as that. What do you think of my own interpretation, Steel?"

"I couldn't have put it better myself."

The other transient refused to accept his defeat and addressed the woman.

"Remove her from stasis. Let's see if Steel can be true to his noble words when he hears her screaming."

The woman said, in a deceptively cheerful tone: "No. You know how much I loathe meaningless violence. Sapphire is much more use to us alive than dead. I still need Steel's cooperation. You may leave now. Your assumptions proved wrong, now I will do as I deem best."

Not trying to hide his disappointment and his frustration, the man just disappeared. The woman sat down in front of Steel, who said: "I still will not cooperate, you know that."

She beamed at him a smile that for the first time looked genuine, and not tinted with scorn or deception.

"Oh yes, I know. I will not try to come to terms with you, Steel, but you will allow me a little chat before I tell you what I have in mind for the pair of you, won't you?"

Steel raised his hand in an obliging gesture.

"Suit yourself."

The woman placed her elbows on the table and leaned closer to the time agent, firmly planting her piercing eyes in his, periwinkle blue meeting steel grey.

"You see, I've been following your career very closely. Don't ask me how, I have my methods, and I won't disclose them. But my research yielded an unexpected result: I've come to admire you, Steel."

The time agent could not suppress a surprised look.

"Have you?"

She smiled again.

"Yes. Your resolve, your single-mindedness, and above all your loyalty and dependability have deeply struck me. You see, we have none of these qualities among our ranks. On the contrary, they are considered as flaws."

Steel commented: "Not by you, apparently."

"No, not by me. I much prefer true, old-fashioned bravery to deception and conspiracy. That's why I have many enemies, even among my own."

She fell silent, and Steel intensely looked at her for a very long time, assessing her. She accepted his scrutiny without flinching.

He broke the silence.

"If you are about to ask me to join forces with you, you may as well save your breath."

She laughed again.

"My dear Steel, I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Once again, you already played a few nice moves ahead in your beautiful chess player mind." Then her smile disappeared, and her expression became openly threatening. "But I'm afraid you are making a very serious mistake: you are underestimating your opponent. You really shouldn't put me at the same level as the other transients you met today."

Steel wanted to retort, but he realized that he could not talk anymore. And not only that; when he tried to stand, he realized that his body wouldn't respond. He was kept still by some external, overwhelming force. The only things that still worked, besides his internal organs, were his ears and eyes.

The transient stood, slowly turned around the table and approached him from behind, whispering in his left ear: "I can exercise an extremely fine control on my stasis: I could let you blink one eye and keep the other still. Imagine what I could do to your brilliant brain. I could easily dispose of you now."

She moved in front of him again and looked into his eyes, searching for fear, and finding none.

"But it would be too easy, and it would be pointless. As I told my associate, you two are much more use to me alive."

She slowly reached with her hand and leisurely threaded her fingers through his blond hair.

"I will not kill you today, Steel. But you owe me."

She approached him even further, cast him a long, appreciative look and slowly, deliberately brushed her lips on his. Steel instinctively closed his eyes and, when he reopened them, she was gone, and he could move again. He sprang to his feet and immediately turned to look at Sapphire.

She tentatively moved her head, as if testing her regained mobility.

He asked her, not hiding his concern: "How do you feel?"

She cleared her voice, and answered: "I'm fine. Just a little stiff, I guess. Help me stand."

He obliged, supporting her while she laboriously stood. She took a few steps forward, cautiously flexing her muscles. He asked her: "Were you aware of what we were doing and saying?"

"Yes. That woman is very dangerous, Steel."

He nodded.

"So I noticed. Her powers are outstanding."

The two time agents heard an engine roar outside the service station, and promptly opened the door. The place was not surrounded by space anymore, and they could see a black leather-clad figure straddling a big sports motorcycle in front of the gas pumps. As the transient brusquely opened the throttle to a deafening roar, she let it rear up like a stallion; balanced on one wheel, the bike quickly disappeared from view.

Steel looked back at the service station's clock and saw that time was flowing normally again. They were free. He said: "I wonder what she meant with her last statement."

Sapphire looked at her partner with a worried expression in her beautiful blue eyes.

"That sooner or later she will be back to collect her debt."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**SAPPHIRE AND STEEL HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED.**_

* * *

Six months after the gas station assignment, Sapphire and Steel materialized in the open, on a vast plateau covered with low shrubs. It was around dusk, and a cold wind was blowing and ruffling the two time agents' blond hair.

Sapphire was the first to spot the woman, who was standing a few feet from them, motionless, facing away from them, silently staring in the distance. She wasn't wearing black leather this time, just blue jeans and a purple cotton shirt, but the thick, curly raven hair and the stunning body were unmistakable.

Sapphire whispered in her partner's ear: "Steel, it's that transient woman again."

Steel turned abruptly, instinctively preparing his body for the forthcoming fight.

The woman spoke, her voice low: "No need to ruffle your feathers, Steel. I come in peace this time."

The two time agents relaxed slightly, but they didn't approach her.

"How did you summon us here?" Steel asked.

Her voice now sounded amused: "Let's say I made a little deal with your Authority. You may have conveniently forgotten that you're in my debt, but they haven't."

Steel asked, indignantly: "You mean you blackmailed them? How dared you?" Fuming, he started to approach the motionless transient, but before he could reach her, the woman collapsed on her knees, a gasp escaping her lips.

All his belligerence suddenly vanished, Steel hastily went by her side, curious but wary.

The transient woman was now clearly in pain. Her face was ashen, her eyes tightly shut. Kneeling was too much an effort for what little strength she had left, and she was slowly slumping to the ground. Steel instinctively grabbed her and held her, taken aback by the unexpected display of weakness.

Speaking between clenched teeth, the woman explained: "I need your help, Steel. Can you forget that I am a transient for a little while? You're the only one who can save my life."

Steel, bewildered, looked at his partner, silently asking for advice. Sapphire said: "I don't think it's a trap, Steel. Her pain feels real."

He asked: "What's the matter with her?"

Sapphire bent down and briefly touched the other woman's forehead.

"I think she's been infected with some kind of virus, obviously lethal for her."

The transient woman nodded and spoke with a voice that was getting weaker by the minute, her lips now drained of all colour, her brow bathed in perspiration.

"Yes. Someone… very close to me. Someone I trusted. How very… naïve of me. Earth pathogens are one of the few things… that can kill me."

Steel adjusted his hold to make her more comfortable and whispered: "Shh, don't talk. You should spare your energies."

He was still unsure. Sapphire sensed his uncertainty and spoke in his mind.

"_She hasn't got much time left, Steel. You must make a decision."_

Steel looked into the transient's outlandish periwinkle eyes, now open, trying to read her thoughts. The woman managed a weak smile, and said in a very low voice: "What will it be, Steel? Death for an enemy… or mercy for a potential ally?" Then she closed her eyes, all her strength spent.

The elemental asked, softly: "What do you want me to do?"

The transient's voice was now almost inaudible. Steel had to lean closer to hear her: "Freeze my body until… the pathogen loses its virulence. But don't… freeze me to death."

He mumbled: "Cryogenic suspension is very risky. I don't have such a fine control on my temperature drop, you know? I might kill you."

The woman whispered: "I trust you… completely, Steel." Then her body went limp in his arms.

For a brief moment Steel panicked at the thought that she had already died, without he had a chance to save her, but then Sapphire's voice spoke in his mind again.

"_No, she's still alive. But not for long."_

Still holding the woman, Steel forced his body temperature to plummet. He closed his eyes, concentrating hard on controlling the temperature drop. He had to stop it at a life-sustaining level and keep it there.

Steel's hands and arms covered with a thin layer of frost, as well as the transient's body, which also started to shiver uncontrollably. Steel held her tighter, careful to balance his inner temperature. Despite the cold, his forehead covered with sweat, showing the effort he was enduring.

He lost track of time, his whole world now reduced to controlling the cryogenic process. He could feel that the transient's body had stopped shivering, but he had no way of knowing if that was good or bad. For all he knew, she might already be frozen to death. Still, he stubbornly kept concentrating on controlling the procedure. For some reason, he didn't want that woman to die, and if he had even the slightest chance of saving her life, he would give it his best try.

The sun had long set, and a full moon had risen, bright enough to illuminate the fight for life that was silently taking place on the desolate plateau.

After what seemed like hours, Steel felt his strength ebbing away, slowly but inexorably spent by the freezing process. He heard Sapphire's welcome voice in his mind.

"_I'm not sure the pathogen is ineffective now, but you must regain your heat, Steel. Also, you don't have enough strength left to control the process. You might freeze her too much. Let go of her."_

Implicitly trusting his partner's judgment, Steel gently lowered the transient's body to the ground and staggered away from her, only to drop to the ground a few feet away, his turn now to shiver violently, the only way his body knew to regain its heat. Instinctively knowing that Lead could not come and help him warm up, because he never reached absolute zero, he curled into a ball and shut off from the outside world, all his remaining energy focusing on restoring his normal temperature.

He did not realize that Sapphire had lit a fire near his curled-up body, and had covered him with a thick fur that she found laying on the ground a few feet from where the transient was still fighting for her life. Clearly the woman had counted on Steel's help, after all, and had thoughtfully provided a source of heat to restore her saviour's temperature. Sapphire laboriously dragged the transient's body near the fire, too, and covered her with the same fur. The two bodies had now reached the same temperature, and she was hoping that they might help each other warm up.

When Sapphire saw Steel instinctively reach for the transient's body and tightly embrace her in search of warmth, she felt an unusual stab of resentment – or was it jealousy? – but then she heard her partner softly calling her – Sapphire's – name, and she smiled, touched.

* * *

Whenever Steel was recovering from a temperature drop, he dreamt. They were dreams of ice and cold, of course. Now he knew he was dreaming again, because he was standing on a frozen stretch of barren land. But this time he was not alone: a woman was standing in front of him. She was as tall as him, and her curly black hair framed a beautiful face. But her most striking features were her eyes, shining with an alien periwinkle colour. When she spoke, her voice was low, almost hoarse.

"Thank you, Steel. You saved my life."

He asked, baffled: "Who are you?"

She answered: "My name is Violet. I am a transient."

He was still perplexed.

"Why did you trust me with your life?"

She approached him, and now they were standing only a few inches from each other.

"Because you're a dependable and reliable man. You may be as cold as steel, but you would never turn down a person asking for your help, either friend or foe."

He looked deep into those extraordinary eyes.

"And which one will you be now?"

She smiled an uncharacteristic sweet smile and said: "Neither. My nature does not allow me to be your friend, but your actions prevent me from being your foe. I am somewhere in between. But I won't forget what you've done for me, Steel."

She leaned closer and softly kissed him. Taken aback, he did not withdraw, and lingered on those smooth warm lips, briefly wondering why they caused his heartbeat to quicken.

* * *

Sapphire was sleeping and did not see the transient kissing her partner, then extricating herself from the fur, gently tucking it around Steel's body and silently walking away, after yielding to the irresistible desire to softly brush away a stray lock of hair on his forehead.

Violet didn't know what it was that attracted her to Steel. He was supposed to be her enemy, and a very dangerous one at that, and yet she could not force herself to hate him. Even before he saved her, she knew that his qualities lured her into knowing him better. She had gathered a remarkable amount of information on him, and she realized that her interest was verging on obsession. She deeply envied his relationship with Sapphire: the transients had nothing even vaguely comparable to such a profound partnership. Their alliances were short-lived, and always based on selfish gain. And the most powerful among them were constantly subject to some ambitious attempts on their lives. Like the one she just escaped with Steel's help. She wished she had the luxury of trusting someone as completely and as wholeheartedly as these two elements did, but she had to be content with watching them from a distance and maybe stealing a brief kiss from the attractive time agent in those rare occasions when his defences were down.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

The transient kept walking away from the two time agents and from the extinguishing fire. It was almost dawn, but it was still dark, and she positioned herself far enough to remain unseen. Her alien eyes allowed her a perfect night vision, better than a cat's, but she did not wish to be seen by the two time agents, not wanting to intrude into their reunion, curious to observe their behaviour.

Steel stirred and slowly sat up. Sapphire immediately sensed he was awake and opened her eyes, instinctively calling his name. "Steel?"

He answered, his voice coarse: "Yes. Where's Violet?"

She stood and approached him.

"Violet? Is that her name?"

He nodded, while she helped him up.

"Yes. She told me in my dreams."

She looked into his eyes, an alarmed expression in her own blue ones.

"That means that she can intrude in your sleep. I wonder what else she can do."

He cast her a surprised look.

"Do I detect a note of resentment?"

She looked away.

"I don't trust that woman, Steel. I think she's dangerous and tricky. And far too interested in you."

He could not suppress a smile.

"And yet you let me save her."

Now she sounded offended.

"Of course. You did not expect me to let her die such a terrible and painful death, did you? I have a heart, you know?"

He grabbed her hand before she had a chance to get away, and spoke softly in her mind.

"_Believe me, Sapphire, I know. I'm constantly aware of your big, caring heart."_

The blonde woman briefly wondered how deeply he knew her. Probably too much for comfort, but it was that unfathomable bond they shared that made them one of the best teams of their community. So she just relaxed the hand he was still holding, and let him slowly kiss its palm, not bothering to hide the shiver of pleasure elicited by his small but meaningful gesture.

But soon the two time agents realized that something was wrong: they had not been summoned back home. That meant that their assignment wasn't over yet.

They patiently waited to see the manifestation of their Authority's will, but as soon as the dawning sun cast enough light to illuminate their surroundings, they noticed the figure silently watching them from a distance.

Steel felt a sense of déjà-vu, and could not help wondering if they were going to live the last few hours all over again. But then he realized that the woman was smiling this time, and not showing any pain. The sun was not setting, and was now casting away the night chill with its generous rays.

He took the initiative and approached the transient, heeled by a still suspicious Sapphire.

"Why are we still here?" He asked the motionless but smiling woman.

"Because I must take my revenge, and you will benefit from it. This is the deal I made with your Authority. I am going to hand you over the transient who tried to kill me. You know him very well: it's the man who trapped you into that café out of time. The same one who wanted to torture Sapphire to make you beg for her life. Interested?"

Steel's face looked carved in stone. "Yes, quite. But I've got a feeling that you're going to need our help again."

"You don't expect me to do all the dirty work by myself, do you? Besides, I know you, Steel, and I'm sure that you'd rather participate to his capture then just meekly watch me while I hand him over to you. I don't want to spoil you fun!"

Steel briefly thought over her proposal, then asked: "What is your plan?"

"Just start walking and keep going South for a couple of miles until you find a little village. He will be there, waiting to hear the news of my untimely death. You should distract him and keep him busy, so he will not detect my presence. As soon as I get close enough to touch him, he will be vulnerable to my stasis. But I do need to touch him. He's protected by a sensory force field that warns him of my presence. So you will have to make quite a lot of fuss and confound his force field."

Steel made a small wicked smile, foretasting the possibility of evening the score with the devious transient. He said: "You can count on me."

She looked at him with what looked like a sad expression, and said: "I know." Then she disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The two time agents started walking in the direction indicated by the transient woman, each one lost in thoughts.

Sapphire asked: "How do you plan to attract the transient's attention?"

"I'd rather not attract it too much. I prefer to stay in his peripheral vision, make him doubt his own eyes."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"You and I will make very brief appearances, just glimpses among the crowd. We will wear different clothes each time he spots us, we will make him question his own sanity. Sooner or later he will decide to follow one of us to find out if it's really us or if he's imagining things."

Sapphire smiled, appreciating the simplicity and ingenuity of Steel's plan.

Steel added, looking straight into his partner's eyes: "Of course, if he decides to follow you, you must not expose yourself. You will teleport away and let me handle him."

Sapphire could not bite back her retort: "Handle him? Last time you 'handled him', he shoved you against a wall and almost knocked you out."

Steel didn't like being reminded of his failures. His voice grew colder.

"This time I will be prepared. I know what to expect."

She added, more gently: "Just be careful, Steel."

Still slightly offended, he didn't bother to answer.

After a few minutes the two agents entered the town. They decided to separate to find the transient more quickly.

Steel headed for the local café: it was the best place to stay on top of news. Sapphire opted for the street market in the main square. They both had already changed their style of clothing: Steel was wearing grey slacks and a grey polo shirt, while Sapphire was sporting a flowered red dress.

Steel was the first to spot the transient. As he suspected, he was sitting in front of a untouched cup of tea on one of the tables, looking at the TV set and listening to all the surrounding chatter. The time agent walked inconspicuously to the counter and positioned himself behind a group of noisy blue collars enjoying their breakfast, right beside a blond man who was drinking some alcoholic beverage from a very small glass.

He mentally contacted Sapphire and sent her a brief instruction, then laid his eyes on the transient and kept them there.

After a few moments, as expected, the transient felt Steel's gaze on him and turned his head toward the counter. Steel let him look at his face for a very fleeting moment, than teleported away. The only one who noticed his sudden disappearance was his neighbour, who first looked at the empty space beside him, and then at the glass of liquor he was sipping, and immediately decided that the stuff was too strong for him.

The transient stood abruptly and, elbowing his way through the crowd, reached the counter. He spotted the blond drinker, and decided he had mistaken him for the time agent. For good measure, though, he carefully studied the patrons. While he was scrutinizing the faces of the people sitting near the window, he spotted a tall woman in a red flowered dress walking outside the café with a graceful gait. She looked very much like Sapphire, but before he had a chance to have a better look at her, she had already passed the window.

The transient darted outside, but she was nowhere to be seen. He slowly returned to his table, questioning his own senses.

He spent about another half an hour in the café, but still he could hear no news of a woman found dead in the surrounding area, so he decided to mingle with the crowd in the street market: perhaps the news travelled faster there.

He was strolling casually among the shopping crowd, unobtrusively listening to the surrounding chatter, when suddenly he spotted a blond lock of hair, belonging to a man wearing grey trousers, a white shirt and a blue blazer. The transient only glimpsed his profile, but the aquiline nose was very much like Steel's. Again, when he tried to approach him, the man just disappeared in the crowd. The transient stood there, transfixed, wondering what was going on. When the people started bumping into him, he moved and headed toward the edge of the square. There he noticed a blonde, tall woman wearing blue jeans and a blue silk blouse, who was walking toward one of the alleys branching off from the square. When the transient tried to approach her, she didn't disappear this time, and just kept walking. He decided to follow her: he needed to know if his senses were playing him tricks.

He knew that the alley was a dead-end, so he was confident that he could trap the woman if she didn't enter any building. When he reached the end of the alleyway, though, there was no one in sight. And since he didn't hear any door being opened and closed, that meant that she had disappeared again.

When he turned to exit the alley, all his senses suddenly shouting at him, he stopped short: a man was standing there, and this time there was no mistaking the stern face and the cold grey eyes that were looking back at him: it was Steel all right.

The time agent said, in a low, mocking voice: "Are you looking for someone, transient?"

Too dumbfounded to talk, the dark-haired man stayed silent for a few seconds, but then he found his voice and his self-assurance again, and answered: "Steel. So the blonde is really Sapphire, who I suppose is not too far. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"No pleasure is involved, I assure you. I wish to resume the conversation we had the last time we met."

Now the transient was feeling more and more confident. He knew he could easily dispose of the time agent.

"Oh, you mean when I trapped you in that café out of time?"

Steel nodded.

"Yes. When you also threatened to take Sapphire's life." His voice dropped by an octave when he added: "To make her suffer."

The transient burst into a wicked laugh.

"And you brought me here so that you could take her place?"

Steel's mouth twitched upwards in a half-grin.

"Not quite."

Suddenly Sapphire appeared behind him, looking wary but taking comfort from Steel's reassuring presence in front of her.

The transient laughed again, and said: "So, here's the famous team of operators, reunited once again. And you think you can defeat me this time around? Don't you understand that you are too weak to overpower me?"

Too engrossed in his bragging, he didn't notice a door silently opening behind him and a feminine figure stealthily stepping out.

Steel's gaze never wavered, so the transient didn't realize that the woman he thought he had killed was standing behind him, with a very malicious smile on the nicely shaped lips. She approached him until she was a few inches from him, and whispered, almost in his ear: "They are, but I'm not."

The male transient jumped a good foot and turned as fast as he could, but it was too late: he didn't have the time to erect a barrier to protect himself from the power of his former colleague. Her stasis enveloped him, virtually immobilizing him.

The man's chest started heaving spasmodically, and he was clearly having difficulties breathing.

Steel looked inquisitively at the transient woman and saw that she was concentrating hard. He said: "Stop it! You're killing him."

She said, nonchalantly: "I know."

Steel protested: "That's not what we agreed upon: you were supposed to hand him over to us."

"I guess I changed my mind."

Steel tried to convince the woman to spare the man's life.

"Look, I know you want revenge, but killing him is pointless. Didn't you say once that you despise meaningless violence?"

She answered, a very threatening look in her periwinkle eyes: "I must make an example out of him. Next time they will think twice before trying to kill me. So you see, in this case the violence is quite meaningful."

Realizing that he could not make her change her mind, Steel tried to touch the male transient to free him from her immobilizing power. As soon as he laid a hand on his arm, though, he got trapped in the same stasis field. He felt his lungs desperately trying to suck in air, and failing. His heart started beating faster and faster, in search of fresh oxygen, and finding none. Both him and the transient collapsed on their knees.

Sapphire shouted, her beautiful face twisted with terror: "Stop that! You're killing him too!"

The transient woman hesitated, but she did not release her grip on the two men.

Desperate to save her partner, Sapphire said: "Is that how grateful you are to Steel for saving your life? Have you already forgotten what he did for you?"

The transient woman retorted, her outlandish eyes glowing ominously: "Why did he interfere? Why does he care?"

"He cares because he hates to see a life extinguished. He cares because he's better than you. And he doesn't deserve to die for that."

After a few excruciating moments, which for Steel lasted hours, the transient woman relaxed and released the stasis field.

Both Steel and the transient man collapsed to the ground, unconscious for the prolonged lack of oxygen.

Sapphire ran at her partner's side, a worried expression on her fine features.

The transient woman looked at the two time agents, mesmerized. Their behaviour baffled her. The fact that Steel would risk his life to save that of a man who had tried to kill him and his partner was beyond her. And she sensed that Sapphire was ready to fight her – at the cost of her own life, as she surely knew – to try and save Steel. Such unselfishness was unheard of among the transients, and even she didn't fully understand it.

Now, watching Sapphire caringly tending to Steel aroused a pang of envy. That feeling was much easier to understand: she also wanted someone who cared for her, who watched her back. Someone who would gladly give his life for her. But she didn't have that luxury: she had to care for herself.

On that bitter thought, she approached the two operators, and said to the now conscious Steel: "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Sometimes I get a bit carried away when I use my powers to such intensity."

Steel, his breath still ragged, asked, pointing at the still unconscious transient: "Will you let us take him away?"

She nodded. "Yes. You can take him away and do whatever you want with him. I don't care anymore. Just don't let him escape."

"We won't." He answered. Then he looked at Sapphire and asked her: "Will you take him to the hub? I will join you shortly. I need to straighten out something first."

Sapphire's reply resounded in his head. _"Very well. But don't let her get too close to you, Steel. I don't trust her."_ Then she teleported away with her prisoner.

Now the transient woman was looking at Steel with an amused half-smile.

"So, what is it that you need to 'straighten out'?"

Steel's tone was not as amused.

"Would you have killed me, too, were it not for Sapphire's words?"

"I told you: when I'm using my power at the highest intensity, I sort of… loose control."

"You are too bloodthirsty for my taste. Next time you need an ally, ask someone else."

"I will. But next time _you_ need an ally, feel free to call me: I owe you, this time. And I _am_ sorry for hurting you. I'm glad Sapphire talked some sense into me in time: I would never willingly harm you. I am very fond of you."

Somewhat mollified, Steel answered: "You have one hell of a way to show it."

With one single stride of her long legs, the woman entered Steel's comfort zone. Her face was now mere inches from Steel's, and her voice was hoarse when she murmured: "I have a better way."

Steel tried to take a step backward, but found that he could not move. Her stasis had hit again. Only his limbs were immobilized this time, and he could still breath and talk.

"Violet…"

"Shh." She whispered.

The woman's lips were on his before he could say anything else. Unable to withdraw, Steel accepted the kiss, and before he realized it, his mouth opened to welcome her probing tongue. Their kiss deepened, and Steel marvelled at her tenderness, as well as at his own response.

One of her hands ran through his hair, while the other laid flat on his chest. A moan escaped her lips.

That sound drove Steel to embrace her and crush her against him, one hand on the small of her back, the other grabbing her thick black curls.

Belatedly, Steel realized that he was not immobilized anymore, and that his physical responses were not induced by her stasis, but were his own. That thought amazed him. He drew back his head to look into her periwinkle eyes and asked, in a soft voice: "You're not controlling me anymore, are you?"

She beamed a sweet smile at him, and answered: "I stopped ages ago."

Then she forced herself to disentangle from his embrace, although it almost physically hurt. She didn't want to get too carried away. She could not afford it. She was on her own once again.

She looked at Steel's nose and briefly concentrated. The time agent felt a slight pressure, then something warm dripping from his right nostril. He touched it with one hand, and when he withdrew it, he saw blood on his fingers.

Taken aback, he asked: "Why did you do that?"

She said, apologetically: "To avoid hurting Sapphire. Your sensitive and empathic partner will be too worried for your health to sense my presence on you."

"Very thoughtful. You know, you're the most unpredictable person I have ever met."

Steel approached her, willingly this time, and lifted a hand to softly stroke her cheek.

"Holding you is like hugging a tiger: now you purr, then you unsheathe your claws and strike. You are dangerous, and so very beautiful."

She turned her face into his hand and languidly kissed his palm.

"So long, Steel." Then she was gone.

Sighing heavily, Steel recomposed himself and prepared to meet his partner again, hoping that Violet's trick with his nose would indeed prevent Sapphire to sense what happened. The transient woman truly confounded him, but he didn't want to hurt Sapphire for that. Kissing Violet had been like dancing with a thunderstorm, while Sapphire was like the horizon welcoming him anytime he strayed. She was always there for him, and he for her. And on that comforting thought, he teleported back to his partner.

**THE END**


End file.
